Changes

Today was a good day.

I was pacing around as I talked on the phone, and I came across my wedding ring hanging on an ornate candelabra. I had put it there a couple of months ago when I was at my weakest health and lightest weight, after it actually fell off my finger. Before, it had always been a chore to get it off. That was a low point for me; realizing that I had wasted away that much was hard to take. I put it on the candelabra so I would know where to find it.

Today I put it on my finger and it stayed put, and would require real effort if I wanted to take it off again.

It's been hard to accurately gauge my weight. I weigh myself every day when I get up, but it often fluctuates daily by several pounds so I try and look at weekly trends.

I have now passed the ring test and am clearly gaining weight. So my goal is to continue to work on strengthening my body, staying healthy...and gain some more weight.

Good News!

Good News!

After meeting with our oncologist on the 30th he told us that we couldn't possibly have had better outcomes to the procedures, that everything is working properly, and things are as good as they can be. After 5 months of difficult procedures and dire predictions we found ourselves stunned and flummoxed by his positive words! He also said he didn't think that David would still be alive after these past months. He said that he could not be more pleased with our progress, and that medically we are back on track. The stent and the blood thinners are working, and the ascites is gone. We won't need any more blood tests, and now we'll just have follow-up appointments every month, and intermittent CT scans to watch for the cancer returning.

We drove away from the appointment in a kind of daze. Only that week had David had to have his blood checked multiple times to check for a disorder caused by blood thinners. That came up negative. Now this! It took us until the next day to start to believe that David is now back on track, and that his body has taken a turn towards health.

We do know that things could still go wrong, but as of now we are hopeful and much relieved! David is spending his days building strength, muscle mass and gaining weight in preparation for getting back to teaching this September.